Tire.



A. G. FITZ GERALD.

TIRE.

APPLICATION FlL-ED sum 25. 1914.

Patented May 30, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Wnessss mmw s s A. G. FITZ GERALD.

TIRE.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 25. m4.

May 3,0, mm. 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

rmws PATEW wlt f ftlm A. GROVEIR FITZ GERALD, 015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR. BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO RELIANCE A. 0. COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CQBPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented lliay 3th. NH ti.

Application filed June 25, 1914. Serial No. 847,171.

To all @c/wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. Gnovnn Frrz GER- ALI). a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of llfassa'chusetts, have invented certain new and usefulv Improvements in Tires, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which itr-a'p'p e rtains to make: and use the same.

This invention relates to tires 'and with regard to certain more specific features thereof, to pneumatic tires, particularly to tires composed of rubber or the like wherein a fabric or other means is employed-to cause compression of the rubber in the tread portion to render the tire puncture-proof.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a simple and practical tire of the abovednentioned type.

It is another object of the invention to provide reliable and otherwise in'iproved. means whereby the material of the tread portion of the tire'may be held compressed.

Another object of the invention is to pro- I vide effective means whereby friction -be' tween the inner tube and itsshoe is obviated or reduced to a minimum.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in the fabric longitudinal joints of a yielding character, whereby a tendency of the fabric to-break on the application of unusual pressure is avoided.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of, elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following" claims.

- In, the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown one of various possible embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of a tire embodying features of the invention; Fig. 2 isa transverse sectional' view taken on the line of Fig 1 Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, showing the yielding joint in the fabric Fig. i is a development of a portion of the fabric, showing the joint; Figs. 5, (3 and 7 are development views of modified forms of the fabric; and Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a portion of a tube showing the form of the an enlarged tread portion joint of the fabric illustrated in the (levelbreak fi'occurs the adjacent ends of the fabric are overlapped 'and connected together as by stepping a layer or layers of rubber bet en and vulcamzmg, or by a portion (3 nof ubber or other suitable elastic or resilient material. the connection being made preferably by what is known in the art as Y frictlonizmg In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. there are provided three individual strips of fabric respectively disposed at different longitudinal portions of the tube. a jaccnt ends of these stay strips being connected together as described. and the three strips forming, when so connected, a continuous annular constrictingelement, or stay which, when the tube is inflated, serves to compress the rubber in the tread portion '2 to such a legree that it rcnders the tire highly punctureproof and at the same time permits circumferential expansion ofthe tube.

llcretoforc tires have been constructed embodyingv a continuous annular strip of fabric. either made in one piece or having its ends connected together by a cement or other non-elastic or non-resilient material. In such cases it has been found that. the fabric substantially hinders circuinferential expansion of the tube and that, accordingly, the tube develops a tendency to slip within its shoe, whereupon considerable. friction is created, heating" both elements. By the present invention a tube is provided which permits sutlicient cil'munfercntial expansion to minimize slipping in the shoe; at the same time the fabric serves to exert a transverse com n'ession at all points around the tread portion. of said tube, maintaining" the benefits of such comprc on. noted that adjacent ends of the strips of fabric are overlapped to obtain the desired joint and it therefore follows that thcre no point around the entire periphery of the provided with means,

tube which is not subjected to the transverse compression caused by embedding the tabric and molding the tire in a manner which is now well known. If desired the joint may be made at an oblique angle to a longitudinal axis or plane of the tube as shown in Fig. 4, providing greater cooperating areas of the fabric at the joint.

Opposite edges ofthe fabric strips are as indicated at 7, adapted to resist strains along these edges tending to cause the fabric to part from the rubber therealong.

I If desired the fabric may be slotted preferably in crisscross fashion as'indicated at 10 in Figs. 5 and 7 the openings. or slots, thereby more readily pern'iitting the fabric to. follow its natural tendency to contract transversely when the same is stretched longitudinally or to contract longitudinally under greater transverse strain. This will permityield ine'ither atransverse or longitud'inal direction and accordingto the direc tion ofyicld the contraction in the other direction compensates for any loss in constriction of the rubber. in that direction. It will. therefore be noted that the punctureproofor puncture is n'ia-i'nta-inedno matter in which direction thehibestretch'es. A-lsoif-desired a plurality of fabric strips matched. end to end and slightly apart as in Fig. (S may be provided. This construction avoids'theextra labor of anoverlappingjoint, and the strips can be slotted asinFig; bei'o'reset forth. p p

1 Itwillrbeobvious from theabo-ye descrip- 7 for the-purposes hereintioni t'l'iat meansa're' provided which accompl'islnamong: others, all of the objects and adWtn-tageshereinbefore :set forth. I

As many-changes could be made in the above coi'istruction and many imparently Widely dili'erent'embodiments of this invention-could'be made without departing from the sco ')e-thereo'i, it is intended that all HitlittiNCfOIltaillMl an the above description or healing effect of the tire a'fiexible stay at'the shown in the accompanying drawin s shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the 'nature described, in combination, a rubber tube, and a plurality of strips of fabric embedded in the tube with adjacent ends yieldingly connected together, certain of said strips comprising respectively intersecting slots terminating short of the side edges of said strips. I

In a device of the nature described, in combination, a tube of elastic material, and a flexible stay at the tread portion, said stay having openings adapting said stay to extend and contractbot-h longitudinally and transversely of said tube andjsaid stay being so associated with said tube as to cause transverse compression of said tread portion upon extension of said stay longitudinally of said tube.

3. In a device of the combination, a tube of elastic material, and a flexible stay at the tread portion, said stay having openings adapting said stay to extend and contract both longitudinally and transversely of said tube and said stay being so associated with said tube as to cause transverse compression of said tread portion upon extension of'said stay longitudinally of said tube and" vice versa.

4.111 a. device of the nature described, in combination, a tube of elastic material, and tread portion, said stay nature described, in

being constructed to be extensible and con tractible both longitudinally .andtransyerse'ly of said tube and having'intersecting slots intermediate its longitudinal edges.

In testimony whereof I a'iiix my signature,

in the presence of two witnesses.

A. GROVE-R FIT'Z GERALD. Witnesses:

H. M. SEAMANS,

J. THOMSON. 

